Self-reports of long or short sleep durations have indicated an association with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, but there are limited data evaluating their association with white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV), a marker of cerebral small vessel disease. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of self-reported sleep duration to test for a correlation with white matter hyperintensities, measured by quantitative MRI in the Northern Manhattan Study. We used multivariable linear regression models to assess associations between both short (< 6 hours) and long (≥ 9 hours) sleep durations and log-transformed WMHV, adjusting for demographic, behavioral and vascular risk factors. A total of 1244 participants, mean age 70 ± 9 years, 61% women and 68% Hispanics were analyzed with magnetic resonance brain imaging and self-reported sleep duration. Short sleep was reported by 23% (n = 293), and long sleep by 10% (n=121) of the sample. Long sleep (β = 0.178; p = 0.035), but not short sleep (β = −0.053; p = 0.357), was associated with greater log-WMHV in fully adjusted models. We observed an interaction between sleep duration, diabetes mellitus, and log-WMHV (p = 0.07). In fully adjusted models, stratified analysis showed that long sleep duration was associated with greater WMHV only in those with diabetes (β = 0.78; p = 0.0314), but not in non-diabetics (β = 0.022; p = 0.2), whereas short sleep was not associated with white matter hyperintensities in those with diabetes or non-diabetics. In conclusion, long sleep duration was associated with a greater burden of white matter lesions in this stroke-free urban sample. The association was mainly seen among those with diabetes mellitus.

Acute stroke education has focused on stroke symptom recognition. Lack of education about stroke preparedness and appropriate actions may prevent people from seeking immediate care. Few interventions have rigorously evaluated preparedness strategies in multiethnic community settings.

Methods

The Acute Stroke Program of Interventions Addressing Racial and Ethnic Disparities (ASPIRE) project is a multi-level program utilizing a community engaged approach to stroke preparedness targeted to underserved black communities in the District of Columbia (DC). This intervention aimed to decrease acute stroke presentation times and increase intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) utilization for acute ischemic stroke.

We examined whether obesity and a history of diabetes, hypertension, and elevated cholesterol, individually and in combination, are associated with breast density, a strong risk factor for breast cancer.

Methods

We measured percent density and dense area using a computer-assisted method (n=191; age range=40-61 years). We used linear regression models to examine the associations of each metabolic condition and the number of metabolic conditions (0, 1, 2, and 3 or 4 conditions) with breast density.

A history of high blood cholesterol and multiple metabolic conditions were associated with lower relative and absolute measures of breast density. The positive association between metabolic abnormalities and breast cancer risk may be driven by pathways unrelated to mammographic breast density.

Cardiac mortality after stroke is common, and small studies have suggested an association of short-term cardiac mortality with insular location of cerebral infarction. Few population-based studies with long-term follow-up have evaluated the effect of stroke location on the long-term risk of cardiac death or myocardial infarction (MI) after first ischemic stroke. We sought to determine the association between stroke location and cardiac death or MI in a multiethnic community-based cohort.

Methods

The Northern Manhattan Study is a population-based study designed to determine stroke incidence, risk factors, and prognosis in a multiethnic urban population. First ischemic stroke patients age 40 or older were prospectively followed up for cardiac death defined as fatal MI, fatal congestive heart failure, or sudden death/arrhythmia and for nonfatal MI. Primary brain anatomic site was determined by consensus of research neurologists. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs were calculated by Cox proportional-hazards models and adjusted for vascular risk factors (age, sex, history of coronary disease, hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, and smoking), stroke severity, infarct size, and stroke etiology.

Results

The study population consisted of 655 patients whose mean age was 69.7 ± 12.7 years; 44.6% were men and 51.3% were Hispanic. During a median follow-up of 4.0 years, 44 patients (6.7%) had fatal cardiac events. Of these, fatal MI occurred in 38.6%, fatal congestive heart failure in 18.2%, and sudden death in 43.2%. In multivariate models, clinical diagnosis of left parietal lobe infarction was associated with cardiac death (adjusted HR = 4.45; 95% CI, 1.83 to 10.83) and cardiac death or MI (adjusted HR = 3.30; 95% CI, 1.45 to 7.51). When analysis of anatomic location was restricted to neuroimaging (computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or both [n = 447]), left parietal lobe infarction was associated with cardiac death (adjusted HR = 3.37; 95% CI, 1.26 to 8.97), and both left (adjusted HR = 3.49; 95% CI, 1.38 to 8.80) and right (adjusted HR = 3.13; 95% CI, 1.04 to 9.45) parietal lobe infarctions were associated with cardiac death or MI. We did not find an association between frontal, temporal, or insular stroke and fatal cardiac events, although the number of purely insular strokes was small.

Conclusions

Parietal lobe infarction is an independent predictor of long-term cardiac death or MI in this population. Further studies are needed to confirm whether parietal lobe infarction is an independent predictor of cardiac events and death. Surveillance for cardiac disease and implementation of cardioprotective therapies may reduce cardiac mortality in patients with parietal stroke.

The emergence of the Internet has increased access to health information and can facilitate active individual engagement in health care decision making. Hispanics are the fastest-growing minority group in the United States and are also the most underserved in terms of access to online health information. A growing body of literature has examined correlates of online health information seeking behaviors (HISBs), but few studies have included Hispanics.

Objective

The specific aim of this descriptive, correlational study was to examine factors associated with HISBs of Hispanics.

Methods

The study sample (N=4070) was recruited from five postal zip codes in northern Manhattan for the Washington Heights Inwood Informatics Infrastructure for Comparative Effectiveness Research project. Survey data were collected via interview by bilingual community health workers in a community center, households, and other community settings. Data were analyzed using bivariate analyses and logistic regression.

This large-scale community survey identified factors associated with online HISBs among Hispanics that merit closer examination. To enhance online HISBs among Hispanics, health care providers and policy makers need to understand the cultural context of the Hispanic population. Results of this study can provide a foundation for the development of informatics-based interventions to improve the health of Hispanics in the United States.

Hypertension is the most important risk factor associated with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We explored racial differences in blood pressure (BP) control after ICH and assessed predictors of BP control at presentation, 30 days, and 1 year in a prospective cohort study.

Methods

Subjects with spontaneous ICH were identified from the DiffErenCes in the Imaging of Primary Hemorrhage based on Ethnicity or Race (DECIPHER) Project. Blood pressure was compared by race at each time point. Multivariable linear regression was used to determine predictors of presenting mean arterial pressure (MAP), and longitudinal linear regression was used to assess predictors of MAP at follow-up.

Results

A total of 162 patients were included (mean age 59, 53% male, 77% black). MAP at presentation was 9.6 mmHg higher in blacks than whites despite adjustment for confounders (p=0.065). Fewer than 20% of patients had normal blood pressure (<120/80 mmHg) at 30 days or 1 year. While there was no difference at 30 days (p=0.331), blacks were more likely than whites to have Stage I/II hypertension at one year (p=0.036). Factors associated with lower MAP at follow-up in multivariable analysis were being married at baseline (p=0.032) and living in a facility (versus personal residence) at the time of BP measurement (p=0.023).

Conclusions

Long-term blood pressure control is inadequate in patients following ICH, particularly in blacks. Further studies are needed to understand the role of social support and barriers to control to identify optimal approaches to improve blood pressure in this high-risk population.

Recent studies have suggested poor quality and diminished quantity of sleep may be independently linked to vascular events, though prospective and multiethnic studies are limited. This study aimed to explore the relationship between daytime sleepiness and the risk of ischemic stroke and vascular events in an elderly, multi-ethnic prospective cohort.

Methods and Results

As part of the Northern Manhattan Study, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) was collected during the 2004 annual follow-up. Daytime sleepiness was trichotomized using previously reported cut points of “no dozing,” “some dozing,” and “significant dozing”. Subjects were followed annually for a mean of 5.1 years. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for stroke, MI and death outcomes. We obtained the ESS on 2088 community residents. The mean age was 73.5 ± 9.3 yrs; 64% were women; 17% white, 20% black, 60% Hispanic, and 3% other. Over 44% of the cohort reported no daytime dozing, 47% reported “some dozing” and 9% “significant daytime dozing.” Compared to those reporting no daytime dozing, individuals reporting significant dozing had an increased risk of ischemic stroke [HR=2.74 (95% CI 1.38-5.43)], all 6 stroke [3.00 (1.57-5.73)], the combination of ischemic stroke, MI and vascular death [2.38 (1.50-3.78)], and all vascular events [2.48 (1.57-3.91)], after adjusting for medical comorbidities.

Conclusions

Daytime sleepiness is an independent risk factor for stroke and other vascular events. These findings suggest the importance of screening for sleep problems at the primary care level.

It is well recognized that an interdisciplinary approach is essential in the development and implementation of solutions to address the current pediatric obesity epidemic. In two half-day meetings that included workshops and focus groups, faculty from diverse fields identified critically important research challenges and gaps to childhood obesity prevention. The purpose of this white paper is to describe the iterative, interdisciplinary process that unfolded in an academic health center setting with a specific focus on under-represented minority groups of Black and Hispanic communities, and to summarize the research challenges and gaps related to pediatric obesity which were identified in the process. Although the research challenges and gaps were developed in the context of an urban setting including high risk populations (the northern Manhattan communities of Washington Heights, Inwood, and Harlem), many of the issues raised are broadly applicable. The processes by which the group identified research gaps and methodological challenges that impede a better understanding of how to prevent and treat obesity in children has resulted in an increase in research and community outreach collaborations and interdisciplinary pursuit of funding opportunities across units within the academic health center and overall University.

Among ischemic stroke patients arriving within the treatment window, rapidly improving symptoms or having a mild deficit (i.e. too good to treat)is a common reason for exclusion. Several studies have reported poor outcomes in this group. We addressed the question of early neurological deterioration in too good to treat patients in a larger prospective cohort study.

Methods

Admission and discharge information were collected prospectively in acute stroke patients who presented to the emergency room within three-hours from onset. The primary outcome measure was change in the NIHSS from baseline to discharge. Secondary outcomes were discharge NIHSS>4, not being discharged home, and discharge modified Rankin scale.

Results

Of 355patients who presented within three-hours, 127 (35.8%) had too good to treat listed as the only reason for not receiving thrombolysis, with median admission NIHSS = 1 (range = 0 to 19). At discharge seven(5.5%) showed a worsening of NIHSS ≥1 and 9 (7.1 %) had an NIHSS > 4. When excluding prior stroke (remaining n= 97), discharge status was even more benign: only five (5.2%) had a discharge NIHSS > 4 and two (2.1%) patients were not discharged home.

Conclusion

We found that a small proportion of patients deemed too good to treat will have early neurological deterioration, in contrast to other studies. Decisions about whether to treat mild stroke patients depend on the outcome measure chosen, particularly when considering discharge disposition among patients who have had prior stroke. The decision to thrombolyze may ultimately rest on the nature of the presentation and deficit.

The safety of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke over age 80 is unclear. We hypothesized that patients over age 80 can be safely treated with IVT.

Methods

Admission and discharge data were collected on all patients at a single tertiary care center presenting within 12 hours of onset. Collected data included treatment with IVT, demographics, pre-treatment National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, length of stay (LOS), mortality and discharge disposition. Analyses were restricted to patients over age 80, and the primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Logistic regression was used to examine whether IVT was associated with mortality.

Results

Between 1/1/05 and 6/30/10, 112 patients over age 80 presented within 3 hours of ischemic stroke onset, and 31 received IVT. There were 15 deaths. In multi-variable models adjusted for age, sex, race-ethnicity and NIHSS, treatment with IVT compared to no treatment, was not associated with in-hospital death (adjusted OR 1.2, 95% confidence interval 0.3 – 4.3).

Conclusions

Treating ischemic stroke patients over 80 with IVT was not associated with an increase in mortality in an urban tertiary care center.

To examine the association between a Mediterranean-style diet (MeDi) and brain MRI white matter hyperintensities (WMH). The MeDi has previously been associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular morbidity, possibly including stroke. A greater understanding of modifiable risk factors for small vessel damage may facilitate the prevention of stroke and cognitive decline.

Design

A cross-sectional analysis within a longitudinal population-based cohort study. A semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was administered and a score (range 0-9) was calculated to reflect increasing similarity to the MeDi pattern.

WMH volume was measured by quantitative brain MRI. Linear regression models were constructed to examine the relation between the MeDi score and the log-transformed WMH volume as a proportion of total cranial volume, controlling for sociodemographic and vascular risk factors.

A Mediterranean-style diet was associated with a lower WMH burden, a marker of small vessel damage in the brain. However, white matter hyperintensities are etiologically heterogenous and can include neurodegeneration. Replication by other population-based studies is needed.

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a risk factor for diabetes, stroke, myocardial infarction, and increased mortality, and has been associated with cognition in some populations. We hypothesized that MetS would be associated with lower Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores in a multi-ethnic population, and that MetS is a better predictor of cognition than its individual components or diabetes.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis among 3,150 stroke-free participants. MetS was defined by the modified National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATPIII) criteria. Linear regression and polytomous logistic regression estimated the association between MMSE score and MetS, its individual components, diabetes, and inflammatory biomarkers.

Results

MetS was inversely associated with MMSE score (unadjusted β = −0.67; 95% CI −0.92, −0.41). Adjusting for potential confounders, MetS was associated with lower MMSE score (adjusted β = −0.24; 95% CI −0.47, −0.01), but its individual components and diabetes were not. Those with MetS were more likely to have an MMSE score of <18 than a score of ≥24 (adjusted OR = 1.94; 95% CI 1.26, 3.01). There was an interaction between MetS and race-ethnicity, such that MetS was associated with lower MMSE score among non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics but not non-Hispanic blacks.

Conclusions

MetS was associated with lower cognition in a multi-ethnic population. Further studies of the effect of MetS on cognition are warranted, and should account for demographic differences.

Sleep disorders are associated with stroke and may vary among elderly Hispanics, Blacks and Whites. We evaluated differences in sleep symptoms by race-ethnicity in an elderly population-based urban community sample.

Methods

Snoring, daytime sleepiness and reported sleep duration were ascertained by standardized interviews as a part of the Northern Manhattan Study, a prospective cohort study of vascular risk factors and stroke risk in a multi-ethnic urban population. Sleep symptoms were compared amongst race-ethnic groups using logistic regression models.

In this cross-sectional analysis among an elderly community cohort, snoring, sleepiness and long sleep duration were more common in Hispanics. Sleep symptoms may be surrogate markers for an underlying sleep disorder which may be associated with an elevated risk of stroke and may be modified by clinical intervention.

Risk modification through behavior change is critical for primary and secondary stroke prevention. Theories of health behavior identify perceived risk as an important component to facilitate behavior change; however, little is known about perceived risk of vascular events among stroke survivors.

Only 20% accurately estimated risk, 10% of the participants underestimated risk, and 70% of the 817 study participants significantly overestimated their risk for a recurrent stroke. The mean perceived likelihood of recurrent ischemic stroke in the next 10 years was 51 ± 7%. We found no significant differences by race-ethnicity with regard to accurate estimation of risk. Inaccurate estimation of risk was associated with attitudes and beliefs [worry (p < 0.04), fatalism (p < 0.07)] and memory problems (p < 0.01), but not history or knowledge of vascular risk factors.

Conclusion

This paper provides a unique perspective on how factors such as belief systems influence risk perception in a diverse population at high stroke risk. There is a need for future research on how risk perception can inform primary and secondary stroke prevention.

The objective of this study was to examine factors predicting use of the Internet to seek health information among Hispanics in the Washington Heights and Inwood areas of New York City. Data were collected by community health workers through the Washington Heights/Inwood Informatics Infrastructure for Community-Centered Comparative Effectiveness Research (WICER) community survey and a random sample of 100 surveys was selected for analysis. Binary logistic regression (N=100) was used to examine predictors of online health information-seeking behaviors (HISBs) of respondent and household members (dependent variables). Younger age, better health status, and higher education level significantly predicted respondents’ HISBs. Respondents’ health status and education level also significantly predicted household members’ HISBs.

In designing informatics infrastructure to support comparative effectiveness research (CER), it is necessary to implement approaches for integrating heterogeneous data sources such as clinical data typically stored in clinical data warehouses and those that are normally stored in separate research databases. One strategy to support this integration is the use of a concept-oriented data dictionary with a set of semantic terminology models. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the use of the semantic structure of Clinical LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers, Names, and Codes) in integrating community-based survey items into the Medical Entities Dictionary (MED) to support the integration of survey data with clinical data for CER studies.

To explore race-ethnic differences in the relationship between plasma lipid components and risk of incident myocardial infarction (MI).

Design/Methods

As part of the Northern Manhattan Study, 2738 community residents without cardiovascular disease were prospectively evaluated. Baseline fasting blood samples were collected and lipid panel components were analyzed as continuous and categorical variables. Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for incident MI after adjusting for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors.

Results

The mean age was 68.8±10.4 years; 36.7% men, 19.9% non-Hispanic white, 24.9% non-Hispanic black, and 52.8% Hispanic (over 80% from the Caribbean). Hispanics had lower mean HDL-C, and higher TG/HDL-C. During a mean 8.9 years of follow-up there were 163 incident MIs. In the whole cohort all lipid profile components were associated with risk of MI in the expected directions. However, HDL-C (adjusted HR per 10 mg/dl increase 0.93, 95%CI 0.76–1.12) and TG/HDL-C>2 (adjusted HR 0.89, 95%CI 0.51–1.55) were not predictive of MI among Hispanics, but were predictive among non-Hispanic blacks and whites. TG/HDL-C per unit increase was associated with an 8% higher risk of MI among Hispanics (adjusted HR 1.08, 95%CI 1.04–1.12).

Conclusions

In Hispanics, low HDL-C and TG/HDL-C>2 were not associated with MI risk. Our data suggests that a different TG/HDL ratio cutoff may be needed among Hispanics to predict MI risk.

Social isolation is associated with progression of cardiovascular disease with the most socially isolated patients being at increased risk. Increased left ventricular mass is a predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. It is not yet clear whether social isolation is a determinant of increased left ventricular mass.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional study of Northern Manhattan Study participants who were free of clinical cardiovascular disease, had obtained transthoracic echocardiograms (n=2021) and a baseline questionnaire on social habits. Social isolation was defined as the lack of friendship networks (knowing fewer than 3 people well enough to visit within their homes). Echocardiographic left ventricular mass was indexed to height2.7, analyzed as a continuous variable and compared between exposure groups.

Results

The prevalence of social isolation was 13.5%. The average left ventricular mass was significantly higher (50.2 gm/m2.7) in those who were, as compared to those who were not (47.6 gm/m2.7), socially isolated (p<0.05). Higher prevalence of social isolation was found among those less educated, uninsured or unemployed.There were no significant race-ethnic differences in the prevalence of social isolation. In multivariate analysis, there was a trend toward an association between social isolation and increased left ventricular mass in the total cohort (p=0.09). Among Hispanics, social isolation was significantly associated with greater left ventricular mass. Hispanics who were socially isolated averaged 3.9 gm/ht2.7 higher left ventricular mass compared to those not socially isolated (p=0.002). This relationship was not present among non-Hispanic blacks or whites.

Conclusion

In this urban tri-ethnic cohort, social isolation was prevalent and associated with indices of low socioeconomic status. Hispanics who were socially isolated had a greater risk for increased left ventricular mass.

Physical inactivity is an important and modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factor. Little is known about the social determinants of physical inactivity in older, urban-dwelling populations.

Methods

We collected socio-demographic and medical risk factor information and physical activity questionnaires in the Northern Manhattan Study. Logistic regression models were constructed to examine whether measures of social isolation, race-ethnicity, and sex were associated with physical inactivity.

Results

Physical inactivity was present in 40.5% of the cohort. In multivariable models adjusted for medical comorbidities, Hispanic race-ethnicity (compared to non-Hispanic white) was associated with higher odds of physical inactivity (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.78, 2.67), while women were more likely to be inactive than men (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.15, 1.54). Having Medicaid/being uninsured (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.02, 1.42), and having fewer than 3 friends (1.41, 95% CI 1.15, 1.72) were also associated with physical inactivity.

Conclusions

Physical inactivity is common, particularly in Hispanics, women, and those who are socially isolated. Public health interventions aimed at increasing physical activity in these more sedentary groups are required.

The goal of this study was to determine if individuals with coronary artery disease (CAD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) had greater endothelial dysfunction (ED) than individuals with only CAD.

Methods

Flow mediated dilation (FMD), calculated as percentage increase in brachial artery diameter in response to post-ischemic blood flow, was measured after an overnight fast in two cohorts. The first cohort included 76 participants in the Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS) with CAD; 25 also had T2DM. The second cohort was composed of 27 individuals with both T2DM and CAD who were participants in a study of postprandial lipemia. Combined, we analyzed 103 patients with CAD; 52 with T2DM (T2DM+) and 51 without T2DM (T2DM−).

Results

The 52 CAD T2DM+ subjects had a mean FMD of 3.9 ± 3.2%, while the 51 CAD T2DM− subjects had a greater mean FMD of 5.5 ± 4.0% (P<0.03). An investigating of various confounders known to affect FMD identified age and BMI as the only significant covariates in a multiple regression model. Adjusting for age and BMI, we found that FMD remained lower in T2DM+ subjects compared to T2DM− subjects (difference −1.99%, P<0.03).

Interpretation/Conclusion

In patients with CAD, the concomitant presence of T2DM is independently associated with greater ED, as measured by FMD. This finding may be relevant to the greater early and late morbidity and mortality observed in patients with both CAD and T2DM.

Depression is highly prevalent after stroke, and may influence recovery. We aimed to determine whether depressed mood acutely after stroke predicts subsequent disability and mortality.

Methods

As part of the Northern Manhattan Stroke Study, a population-based incident stroke case follow-up study performed in a multiethnic urban population, participants were asked about depressed mood within 7–10 days after stroke. Participants were followed every 6 months the first 2 years, and yearly thereafter for 5 years, for death and disability measured by the Barthel Index (BI). We fitted polytomous logistic regression models using canonical link to examine the association between depressed mood after stroke and disability, comparing moderate (BI 60–95) and severe (BI < 60) disability to no disability (BI ≥ 95). Cox-proportional hazards models were created to examine the association between depressed mood and mortality.

Results

A question about depressed mood within 7–10 days after stroke was asked in 340 of 655 ischemic stroke patients enrolled, and 139 reported that they felt depressed. In multivariate analyses controlling for socio-demographic factors, stroke severity, and medical conditions, depressed mood was associated with a greater odds of severe disability compared to no disability at one (OR 2.91, 95% CI 1.07–7.91) and two years (OR 3.72, 95% CI 1.29–10.71) after stroke. Depressed mood was not associated with all cause mortality or vascular death.

Conclusion

Depressed mood after stroke is associated with disability but not mortality after stroke. Early screening and intervention for mood disorders after stroke may improve outcomes and requires further research.

Presence of informal social networks has been associated with favorable health and behaviors, but whether different types of social networks impact on different health outcomes remains largely unknown. We examined the associations of different social network types (marital dyad, household, friendship, and informal community networks) with acute stroke preparedness behavior. We hypothesized that marital dyad best matched the required tasks and is the most effective network type for this behavior.

Methods

We collected in-person interview and medical record data for 1,077 adults diagnosed with stroke and transient ischemic attack. We used logistic regression analyses to examine the association of each social network with arrival at the emergency department (ED) within 3 h of stroke symptoms.

Results

Adjusting for age, race-ethnicity, education, gender, transportation type to ED and vascular diagnosis, being married or living with a partner was significantly associated with early arrival at the ED (odds ratio = 2.0, 95% confidence interval: 1.2–3.1), but no significant univariate or multivariate associations were observed for household, friendship, and community networks.

Conclusions

The marital/partnership dyad is the most influential type of social network for stroke preparedness behavior.

Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is a risk factor for stroke, but its association with subclinical atherosclerosis remains controversial. Snoring and insomnia are frequently co-morbid with SDB and may contribute to stroke. Data on the relationship between snoring and insomnia with atherosclerotic disease is sparse. We investigated the relationship between insomnia, snoring and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, in the Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS).

Methods

A group of 1,605 participants (mean age 65 ± 8 years; 40% men; 61% Hispanic, 19% black, 20% white) who had carotid IMT measurements performed was assessed for self-reported sleep habits. Habitual snoring was defined as self-reported snoring > 4 times per week. Presence of insomnia was based on three items extracted from the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Carotid IMT was expressed as a mean composite measure of IMT in the carotid bifurcation, common and internal carotid artery. Multivariate linear regression models were used to identify associations between snoring, insomnia and carotid IMT.

Results

Habitual snoring was present in 29% of the subjects and insomnia in 26%. There was a higher prevalence of self reported snoring (84%) and insomnia (66%) among Hispanics than non-Hispanics. The mean total carotid IMT was 0.95 ± 0.09 mm; among those with self reported snoring was 0.94 ± 0.09 mm; and among those with insomnia was 0.95 ± 0.08 mm. After controlling for age, sex, race-ethnicity, BMI and cardiovascular risk factors, snoring (p= 0.986) and insomnia (p= 0.829) were not significantly associated with increased carotid IMT.

Conclusion

Snoring and insomnia were not significantly associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in this population based community cohort.

Elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is associated with ischemic stroke (IS) among Whites, but data is sparse for non-White populations.

Objective

Using a population-based case-control study design with subjects from the Northern Manhattan Stroke Study, we assessed whether Lp(a) levels were independently associated with IS risk among Whites, Blacks and Hispanics.